


Spring and Summer

by kissmygizka



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AsaNoya - Freeform, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Post-Graduation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-28 20:50:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10839207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kissmygizka/pseuds/kissmygizka
Summary: What can result when you combine a night of heavy drinking, nostalgia, and a lifetime of pining together? Asahi was about to find out.





	Spring and Summer

Asahi woke up to the morning sun beating down on his face, and the fact that his head felt like it had been stuffed with concrete. He tried to open his eyes, but the blinding light threatened to burn up his retinas. Not pleasant. He tried turning his head this way and that, but he couldn’t escape it. He didn’t remember his apartment having so many windows, but in that moment, he decided that it was time to move, in preparation for occasions such as this one.

He tried lifting his head from his pillow, and regretted it instantly. A sharp pain like a knife digging into his skull engulfed his head and brought a very loud pounding that pulsated all around his brain as well. The birds chirping outside were not helping.

He would have to take this very slowly. Patience was the key when dealing with a hangover. Don’t go too fast, because you _will_ die.  

Asahi took a deep breath through his nostrils, in an attempt to get some oxygen flowing through his body, willing for some of it to find its way up to his brain, in hopes that that would help subside the horrible throbbing he felt. Once he was sure he wasn’t going to throw up from all that extraneous head lifting he did earlier, he gave opening his eyes another shot.

The light was still blinding Asahi, but it was bearable compared to how it was earlier. His eyes seemed to be adapting to the burning. At least that’s what he told himself. He insisted his brain to keep his eyes open, a seemingly simple task that had become nearly impossible now. It involved a lot of blinking, internal screaming, and contemplating a life in complete darkness. It took a while, but his eyes finally adjusted to the light.

Once his eyes finally came into focus, he noticed his arm was draped over something. Or rather -someone. Frightened, Asahi jumped out of his bed falling onto the floor in a crash. Completely throwing away his plan to take the morning slow, and sending not only a shooting pain through his buttox, but also causing his brain to rattle inside his head. Not a pleasant feeling. The throbbing was so bad he could feel it pulsating in his ears.   

He slowly sat up on the floor, and took a second look at what was on his bed. He peeked just above the bed, his eyes only centimeters over the top of the mattress, to see none other than Nishinoya, fast asleep on his bead, drooling allover his pillows.

Asahi’s face turned beat red, and he fought the urge to scream. _What the hell is he doing there?!_ Asahi’s mind and body went into overdrive, consumed with confusion and shock. He suddenly felt like he needed to do something, but he didn’t know what. He couldn’t stop staring, either. He could not understand what was going on.

There was a very huge -very important- chunk of last night that he seemed to be missing. He hoped that if he kept staring at the image in front of him long enough, that it would all come rushing back to him and he could react appropriately to the situation. For example: does he need to move countries, or would just moving to a different region suffice? Was a name change and facial reconstruction necessary? Or does his shame run so deep that he now needs to cut all ties with humanity? Leave the world and civilization behind? He didn’t know. Of course, there was also the possibility that he would keep staring so long that Noya would wake up, and then he would catch him staring. Then he would need to move to a different planet in order to never burden the earth with his pathetic existence.

All of these horrifying scenarios crossed his mind. But still, he stared.

He couldn’t help it. He just looked so peaceful there. He’d never seen Noya so still in all the years that he had known him. He was a completely different person when he slept. He barely looked like Noya, actually. His hair was all messy and padded down from sleep, he wasn’t jumping, or screaming, or running which was not a common occurrence. It was such a rare sight that Asahi felt like he needed to savor the moment. So, there he was, sleeping in Asahi’s bed, the very picture of perfection; and there Asahi was, staring at him like a creepy stalker.

After so much staring, it suddenly became painfully obvious to Asahi that Noya wasn’t wearing a shirt. This small detail, caused his face too go all sorts of unnatural shades of red.

_What is a half-naked Nishinoya doing in my bed?! What the hell did I do last night?!_

Asahi immediately looked down at his own body, and breathed out a sigh of relief to find that he himself was fully dressed. He quickly came to the conclusion that since he was in fact _not_ naked, things didn’t get _that_ crazy last night. Which brought Asahi immediate relief, but a part of him couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret. He then took that part of him, and buried it deep, deep inside himself; never to see the light of day again.

He couldn’t just think those things about Noya. Especially when he was in his bed sleeping like the beautiful creature that he is, half naked, and hungover. Though he was now sure that they did not -you know, do anything inappropriate- he was still overwhelmed with the feeling that something _did_ happen. He was also sure most likely that _something_ had to do with why Noya and him shared a bed last night.

First thing he needed to do, he decided, was to stop freaking staring like a creep. Clearly looking at his lifelong crush while he slept off a hangover was not helping him recover his memory from last night. He needed some other form of stimulation. He got up off the floor with a sore butt, and causing all the blood in his brain to go: _swoosh_.

Asahi rubbed the back of his head as he got up, to try and settle everything down. Once he was sure he wasn’t going to pass out, he looked around the room to find all of his previous teammates scattered about the place. Enoshita, Narita, and Kinoshita, were sleeping in a pile in the corner of the room. Tanaka was sleeping on the couch his mouth hanging open and one arm daggling off the side. Kageyama and Hinata was snuggling on another floor mat strategically placed near the kitchen. Suga was sound asleep on the smaller two-person couch, and Daichi had taken the lazy boy near him, for himself. Tsukki was also sleeping on the floor with Yamaguchi nearby, covered in pillows and blankets. Kiyoko slept peacefully on a mat by herself, carefully tucked away in a corner, and Yachi had been here last night as well, but if he remembered _anything_ from the night’s events, he remembered enough to know that she was probably passed out on the bathroom floor.

Asahi carefully stepped over the spooning Kageyama and Hinata and made his way toward the kitchen. The goal was to get a glass of water. As it turned out, assembling his drink was more painful than anticipated. First there was the clinking of the glass which felt like someone had taken a butcher knife and rammed straight into his skull. Then there was turning on the tap and actually getting the water into the glass, which proved too extraneous for him in his current state, and ended up making him a little dizzy and very nauseous. By the end of the process he didn’t even want his water anymore, but he knew the key to recovering from a hangover was proper hydration so he downed the tall glass in one shot and readied himself to make another one.

Asahi hated drinking and this was why. Dealing with it the next morning was not worth it, and all the anxiety that it caused him afterwards, wondering what he did while he was intoxicated was horrible and tended to haunt him for several weeks. Not something he particularly enjoyed, so he avoided it most of the time. But last night was a special occasion. It was the unofficial Karasuno Volleyball Team reunion, and so apparently, many drinks were required. 

Suga and Daichi put the whole thing together. They timed it perfectly so that everyone would be in town -or at least in the country- when it happened. They made the arrangements to have people picked up and planned everything. Asahi had supplied the venue, being that he had an apartment large enough to somewhat fit such a large group of people without breaking any fire codes. It just made sense.

He had been excited for it. He had kept in touch with Daichi and Suga pretty well after graduation, and they talked regularly. They texted almost daily. It hadn’t been as easy keeping in touch with the rest. At first it was fine, but as time passed and people got busier, the conversations became fewer and far between. He knew what most of them were up too, but it had been a while since he had actually _talked_ to them. The last one he had a conversation with -apart from his two best friends- was actually Tanaka. They saw each other from time to time since he still lived in Torono, and Asahi lived just a few towns over. That’s how he kept tabs on the other second years, including Noya. Though, it was hard not to know what he was up too, being the libero for the national Japan volleyball team.

Asahi would watch him play on TV, and he just never ceased to be impressed. Since the moment, Asahi met him, he was just completely awestruck by the guy. Everything about him, not just his immense ability for the sport, but in the way he carried himself. He was energetic, and lively and confident. But, even though he was a genius, and obviously the best, he was still so humble. He still looked to improve, to get better, and never thought he was better than anyone else. He took everyone he met seriously and never underestimated them.

Thinking about him sent a flutter of butterflies to erupt in his stomach. At first, he thought he was about to throw up, but no. It was the stupid butterflies. He had forgotten how intense they were. He had gotten used to them when they were in high school. They would show up every time he saw him, and since he saw him every day, multiple times a day, he had developed a sort of immunity to them. But now, they were back and at full force.

After his second glass of water the fuzz began to dissipate from his mind, and the events from the night before were slowly coming back to him. It all started pretty normal, everyone showed up, said hello, gave each other long overdue high fives. The first few hours had been calm, very enjoyable. They spent the entire first half of their reunion just talking. Catching up with one another, talking about what they were up too.

Daichi was off running the world somewhere, being a boss like he was always meant to do. Suga was a literature teacher. The youngest members of the clan had just graduated college. Kageyama had just been recruited into the National Team with Noya and a few other old friends. Hinata had gotten a job as an assistant coach at an elementary school. Tsukki was going off to graduate school somewhere, and Yamaguchi was doing an internship at an architectural firm in Tokyo. Enoshita was off carving his name in the Japanese film industry, and Narita and Kinoshita were off living their lives as they always did.

And then there was Tanaka who was getting married.

That came as a shocker to everyone, no one had expected it would be Tanaka who would be the first to get married, but here they were. Despite the shock, everyone was extremely happy for him, of course. The big guy was getting married! There were congratulations, and manly hugging, and tasteless jokes about balls and chains, and loss of freedom.

That’s when the drinking began.

Because how else are you going to celebrate a dear friend’s engagement if not with tons and tons of beer and sake?

So, they went out to the local convenience store and bought enough alcohol to give everyone at the reunion alcohol poisoning, and then some. Noya, of course, was leading the pack. Before he knew it, Asahi’s home had been turned into a bar in a matter of seconds.

At first things were fine. Everyone was laughing and drinking. Then there was more drinking. Then they kept drinking. Before anyone was aware of it, they were all slovenly drunk.

Even Daichi, the most responsible and level headed person possibly in the world, was drunk. Though arguably the soberest of them all, that in itself wasn’t much of statement.

That’s when the night started requiring a lot of concentration to try to decipher.

Asahi remembered slivers of the night. He remembered Tanaka and Kinoshita’s rap battle. There was also Kageyama who couldn’t stop laughing, even when no one was talking to him, and Hinata who was so drunk you couldn’t understand a word he was saying. He remembered Suga flirting with Daichi and pinching his butt, making all sorts of inappropriate comments throughout the entire night.

But what was he missing? He knew it was big, due to how nauseous it made him feel (though that could be his body rejecting the copious amount of alcohol he ingested), and the more he thought about it, the more he was sure that Noya definitely had something to do with it.

With his third glass of water in hand he looked back over to his bed, where Noya still laid sleeping. The more he dwelled on it, the more the blurry details began to reveal themselves to him.

He remembered seeing Noya after he first walked through the door. That part was crystal clear. Getting to see him again after all those years, it was more overwhelming than he expected. He hadn’t thought that all of those feelings would come rushing back. At least, not as intensely as they had. Yes, he had pined for the guy all through high school, and he still got a little blushy and flustered when he saw him on TV, but he had managed to convince himself that he was mostly over it. He had accepted the fact that Noya -in that way- was unobtainable. He had been lucky enough to be his friend for so many years, and that would have to be enough.

But after seeing him again, he was very clearly not over him.

The first thing he noticed was how much he had changed. His body was more toned, his features were sharper and cleaner. He looked older while still maintaining all that youthfulness in his eyes. He had even grown a bit in the years they’d been apart, though not a lot. That fact made Asahi smile. But even though he _looked_ different, underneath all that change, he was still very clearly _Noya_. The same Noya he’d always known and grown to care about so much.

It was impossible not to be in love with the guy. Asahi was cautious though, as he always was. Or at least he tried to be. It was difficult to be cautious when you wore your heart on your sleeve.   

Asahi smiled as he remembered the day before. Getting to hang out with him and talk to him like they used to, like no time had passed at all, it sent a wave of joy through Asahi’s body. The type of giddiness that reserved itself only for Noya. It surprised him how there was no awkwardness between them after so long without seeing each other. Or rather, Nishinoya did not allow there to be any awkwardness. It just came so easily and so naturally to him, that even though Asahi was sweating through his shirt he was so nervous to see him again, Noya greeted him as if they had seen each other the day before at practice.

And that was that. They sat there talking for hours, no matter how many times they got pulled away from each other or were thrown into the middle of another conversation or argument, they always came back to each other.

He had missed him. Missed the effect he had on him. Missed being around him, and how just having him there made him feel better. Made him feel safe. Now that he was there, he was already dreading him leaving. Time and distance would pull them apart again, and he wouldn’t have him in his life anymore. Again. The thought of it already weighed down on Asahi’s shoulders.

But he had him now, he reminded himself, and that was enough. That was enough for now, at least.

Even when the party got over twenty-one, they were still inseparable. It almost felt like they refused to leave each other’s sides. As the event went on, they just seemed to get closer, and closer…

 Then, like a volleyball to the face, it all came rushing back to Asahi. All of the blood came rushing up to his face, as the scene played out in in his head.

 

Asahi was _drunk_. He didn’t think he had ever been that drunk in his life. He had lost count of how many beers he had had, and he had lost all function in his brain. It was _bad_. And Noya was even drunker than he was.

A recipe for disaster.

They were sitting next to each other on the floor, each of them with a drink in hand and a bag of chips in between them. They had somehow managed to seclude themselves from the rest of the party. Everyone was still there, and the apartment was small so they knew everything that was going on, but everything seemed to be happening around them. They weren’t really taking part in all of it anymore. To Asahi, it almost felt like they were alone, even with twelve other people shouting and laughing around them. It felt close and intimate somehow.  

The conversation had evolved into a whole lot of nothing. No real substance. Just whatever came to mind. Random comments, stupid questions, irrelevant observations. “So,” said Asahi, taking another swig from his beer. “Are you seeing anyone?” The question escaped his mouth before he had even realized he’d thought of it. He was much too drunk to care though.

Noya looked at him while munching on a chip and shook his head, seemingly unfazed by the out of the blue question. “Nope.”

“Really?” he asked in disbelief. “What happened to that gymnast you were seeing?” He asked remembering seeing a picture of the two of them together, laughing and holding hands. A pang of jealousy hit Asahi in the chest. “She was pretty.”  

He shrugged and grabbed another chip from the bag. “Didn’t work out.” That was all the information he offered. It was the only information he ever offered when it came to relationships. There were never any details or long winded explanations as to why they weren’t compatible. No messy dramatic breakups.  It never really seemed like a big deal. And it wasn’t that he didn’t like or care about these people. Asahi didn’t think he would pursue a relationship with them if he didn’t, it just never seemed to bother him. Nothing ever really did. He takes things as they come. He doesn’t find someone to blame or obsessively look for a reason or justification, things are just the way they are. He supposed that was the reason why it was so easy to be with Noya, and why when the relationships would eventually come to end, there were never ever any hard feelings.

“Oh,” said Asahi. “I’m sorry.” And he _was_ sorry. You never felt great when your best friend goes through a breakup, no matter how much you were secretly in love with them.

Nishinoya laughed, as loud and as booming as ever. “Why? It’s no big deal. We just weren’t right as couple. We’re still friends, though.”

Asahi snorted. “Of course, you are.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Noya, munching on another potato chip.  

Asahi blushed. He wasn’t supposed to say that out loud. He was supposed to have said that in his head, but he was having trouble remembering how he used to accomplish that in the past. He couldn’t quite figure it out, so he kept talking. “Nothing. It’s just, your friends with _all_ of your ex’s.”

“That’s not true,” he replied, sounding amused by the accusation.  

“No one can hate you Noya,” said Asahi waving around his bear a little too freely. “You’re too awesome. Nobody hates awesome people. That’s like,” he paused taking a moment to think of the right words. “ _Not_ awesome.”

“I’m not that awesome.”

Asahi shook his head like a stubborn toddler. “No. You’re awesome. You’re like the awesomest person I’ve ever met.” As he spoke Asahi hated himself a little bit more, but his drunkenness numbed him to his own self-loathing. So, he kept on talking. “If there was an award for being awesome, you would win, like, every time. Because you’re awesome. _Sooooo_ awesome.”

Yū laughed with his entire body. His joy was infectious, it made Asahi smile. “Thanks Asahi-san. You know,” he said putting his hand on Asahi’s broad shoulder. “You’re pretty awesome too.” 

“Psh!” said Asahi, oh so eloquently and took another swig from his beer. “Yeah right. I’m like the opposite of awesome. Like awe-less. Or awe-none.”

Noya laughed again, and slapped Asahi on his shoulder. There would be a bruise in the morning for sure. His hits have gotten a lot rougher since becoming a professional athlete. But the pain just brought back bits of nostalgia and how things used to be. It didn’t seem to hurt as much once he saw how happy Noya was. He’d withstand any kind of pain to see that smile.

“What about you Asahi?” said Noya after settling back next to him.   

“Hm?” said Asahi, his beer bottle at his lips.

“Are you seeing anyone?” he asked, a bit of a mischievous smile creeping onto his lips. And it all could have been in Asahi’s head, but he could have sworn that Noya had leaned into him, ever so slightly. Asahi didn’t complain.

“Oh,” he said sounding a bit disheartened, looking away from Noya. The question made him uncomfortable, though the answer was simple: he wasn’t.

Sure, there had been guys. Guys that Asahi found attractive, some guys who even seemed interested in him. There had been a couple of dates here and there, but flirting was never Asahi’s strong suit. Everyone always seemed miles away from his league, and he felt stupid talking to them. The whole dating scene actually terrified him. He never said the right thing, or looked the right way. The dates never went the way he wanted them too, and he’d spend most of the night worrying about everything that he can’t even really enjoy it. Which was why there was no one.

“Nope,” was what he went with. Plain and simple.  

Noya took another swig of his beer, letting his words sink in. “No one?” he said, in disbelief. “At all?”

“No, not really,” he said still refusing to look up at him and playing with the label on his beer bottle.   

 “Well,” he said, bewildered. “I find that hard to believe.”

“What?” the shock forcing him to finally look up at the boy sitting next to him. He raised an eyebrow at him, clearly confused by his answer. “Why?”

“Cuz,” he said looking as serious as Yū had ever looked. “You’re hot Asahi-san!” he said a bit too loudly for Asahi’s comfort. “You can’t tell me no one’s at least _tried_ to tap that!” he said gesturing at Asahi’s entire body with his beer bottle.

After a brief pause, Asahi burst into laughter. “What?!” he said trying to catch his breath. “You’re crazy!”  

“It’s the truth!” said Noya smiling. “Your, like, _super_ hot, Asahi. I mean it.”

“No, I’m not!”

Noya scoffed. “Please,” he said and took another sip of beer.  

“I’m not!” said Asahi still smiling. He found the entire situation ridiculous.

“You have a great butt, Asahi!” he said and matter-of-factly. The sentence echoing across the room.  

Asahi snorted. “It’s not better than Daichi’s.”

“Fact!” shouted Suga from wherever he was in the room.  

Noya gave him a look that made Asahi feel uncomfortable, amongst other things. “I don’t know about that. I’ve been watching your behind for a while.”

It suddenly dawned on Asahi that him and Noya were sitting very close to each other. Their knees were touching, and their hands were so close that if his pinky twitched they would be holding hands. He stared and Noya’s face, studying every detail. He had a great view of it from where he was sitting, they’re faces just inches away from each other. It was even more beautiful than he remembered it.  

Asahi was not in control of what happened next. It was the beer and sake that were making all of the decisions that he now had to live with. He just dove in. No looking back. His instincts took over, and before he could properly process what he was doing, he was kissing Noya.

He had been wanting to do that for so long, and it was better than he imagined it would be. It was like New Year’s Day. Fireworks everywhere. He suddenly felt a hundred pounds lighter, and lightyears away from earth. It was amazing. Like nothing he had ever felt in his life.  

Every instinct in Asahi’s body -even as drunk as they were- were telling him to stop. He wanted to pull away and apologize for being an idiot. To somehow convince Noya that it was not what he thought it was; which was going to be a challenge.

But Asahi didn’t want to stop.

And apparently -neither did Noya.

If he minded, was shocked, or was displeased with the situation, he was very good at hiding it. Given no indication to stop, Asahi just kept going. Despite what his brain was shouting at him. There was a serious disconnect between mind and body at the moment. They kept going at it until Asahi had to come up for air and forced himself to pull away.  

Asahi’s face felt hot, and he seemed to have forgotten how to breath. While his eyes were wide open in disbelief of what had just happened, Noya had a huge grin on his face, much like he always did, his eyes locked on Asahi’s.

After an eternity, had passed between the two of them, Noya leaned in closer and said, “You’re a good kisser.”

Before Asahi could react, Noya’s lips were on him again, and they were back where they were before. He didn’t know for how long they were together, or if anyone had noticed. He had honestly forgotten where they were or what they had been doing up until this point. What mattered was that he was here. He was here with Asahi, and everything felt right. Asahi kept waiting for his mind to ruin it all. To mess up, to say or do the wrong thing, but it never happened. It was just him, and it was just Noya, and everything was right for once.  

Then Tanaka fell off a table, there was some yelling, and then Daichi made everyone go to bed.

They pulled away from each other, and Asahi wanted to giggle, he was so giddy and bubbly. They could feel each other’s breath on their cheeks. They could’ve kept going, Asahi knew that. They could have stayed that close all night, and who knew where it might’ve gone. He was almost tempted to ignore what everyone else was doing and see where the rest of the night and his drunken haze could take him, but it was a bad idea to go against Daichi. Everyone was pretty badly toasted, any longer and something would most likely catch on fire. “I guess we’re calling it a night?” said Asahi.

“Guess so.” It was impossible to tell what Noya was thinking behind those brown eyes and that bright smile he always wore. Asahi was never the one to be able to figure that out, but he wanted to. He wanted to know what made him tick, what he was feeling right now. What was he thinking? Was he as elated as Asahi was right now? He didn’t want to move, he didn’t want to look away. He wanted to stay right here. To keep kissing Noya, and keep trying to figure him out.

But now was not the time or the place. Everyone was shuffling and moving around them trying to find a place to crash not bothering to change out of their clothes or even brush their teeth. They just went up to the nearest soft surface they could find and began to curl up. Daichi was helping Enoshita pull out some of the floor mats, which couldn’t be easy with a grabby Suga right behind you making inappropriate comments about your butt. Even throwing in a couple of good ones at Enoshita.

Reluctantly, Asahi pulled his gaze away from Noya and stood up, he offered him his hand and helped him get up from the floor. He helped the former two Captains of his team throw the mats wherever they fit on the floor. Once satisfied with their work, Asahi decided it was time for him to sleep as well. It was fascinating how quickly your body can go from a hundred miles an hour to crash. The alcohol was taking its toll on him now. Even this tired, he knew he would be paying for his decisions in the morning.

Asahi was making his way to his bed, when Noya came strutting right past him from out of nowhere and shouted “We’re sharing tonight!”

“What?” Asahi’s brain was having trouble processing words at that time.

“I’m the big spoon!” Noya shouted taking off his shirt.

When Asahi walked into his room, Noya was there already curled up in his bed. Asahi shrugged much too tired to really think about what he was looking at and laid down beside him. They passed out soon after, and now, here they were.

Nishinoya asleep on his bead, and Asahi absolutely mortified.

They had made out last night. There was no denying it.  And it was great. Asahi, however, did in fact have to move to another country and get facial reconstruction surgery.

 How was he possibly going to explain all of this to Noya when he woke up _? Oh no it meant nothing! I’ve just been secretly pining for you since high school. No big deal. It’s nothing!_

It had then dawned on him that he was _older_ than Noya; and that Noya -his junior- was intoxicated last night when he latched on to him like a leech and sucked on his face. _Oh my God,_ he thought, _did I_ take advantage _of Noya?!_ He was scum. Worse than that really.

He suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe. His chest felt like it was stuffed with concrete and he had lump in his throat the size of a pair of rolled up socks. His face was beat read and his heart was pounding furiously. How could he live with himself after committing such an act? Daichi and Suga would be disappointed in him. His parents would disown him. His kohai would lose all respect for him -whatever little they had for him in the first place. He would lose his job for this, he was sure of that. He wasn’t exactly sure how, but he was pretty sure that making out with his best friend from high school was sufficient grounds to fire someone. He had no one to blame but himself, really. 

Asahi wanted to crawl under a rock and die. He could not believe this was happening. Before he could begin to plan his new life on the run, Noya began to stir. Asahi was positive that his heart stopped beating for a solid ten seconds. He didn’t know what to do, so he just hovered there in his frozen state, sweating a little bit and trying not to cry. In Hine sight, it probably would have been best to stop staring at him and maybe walk to the other side of the room, but no. He just stood there, staring at Noya wake up, like a psychopath, his brain running at about a mile a minute.

His eyes began to flutter, and so did Asahi’s stomach. Noya opened his eyes and stretched. He sat up and looked around registering his surroundings, probably trying to piece together where he was. He then looked over at Asahi -who was _still_ staring- with heavy sleep filled eyes. Asahi steadied himself for the accusations and the judgements. Noya slowly opened his mouth and said: “Good morning.” 

Asahi wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, and it took him a solid sixty seconds for him to realize that he wasn’t insulting him and how to respond to said non-insult. “G-good morning.” 

Maybe he was building up to the accusations? Needed to get his bearings before he let Asahi know just now despicable he was?

“What time is it?” he asked, his voice scratchy from sleep.

Again, his nonchalance caught him off guard. “Um, about ten AM, I think.”

Nichinoya nodded. He let out a big yawn and rubbed the sleep put of his eyes. He didn’t say anything else, which was unlike him. Asahi figured he was just particularly slow this morning, due to the circumstances. He could sympathize. They were all probably running at around ten percent capacity this morning. “How are you feeling?” asked Asahi, hesitantly, as if approaching a dangerous creature.

“Head hurts,” he mumbled.

Asahi looked down at the glass of water he was still holding. He had never gotten around to drinking it after his epiphany. His throat felt like sandpaper at the moment so: “Here,” he said offering it to Noya. “For the hangover.”

Noya looked at the glass in front of him, as if trying to put together what it was. Once his brain made the connection, he looked up at Asahi and smiled. Asahi was positive that he had gone into cardiac arrest. His heart couldn’t take much more of this. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” he said his voice sounding unnaturally squeaky and high pitched.

He downed the entire glass in two gulps, and already he looked better. He was an unnatural force to be reckoned with.

“That was great!” he shouted, which caused an entire wave of pain and regret to erupt around the room, making Asahi wince.  

“Noya,” said a husky, deep voice, that was raspy with sleep coming from the living room. “Shut up. It’s too early for loud noises.”

“Daichi, shhh,” said Suga bringing the blanket up over his head in an attempt to cancel out the noise around him.

The entire room now began to stir. Sleepy aching heads, began to pop up from under blankets, and groaning from the sunlight that was melting down their eyeballs.  

“Oh, God, my head,” said Enoshita from where he laid.

“Chika, stop yelling,” said Tanaka as he rose from the couch, reluctantly.

“I’m not yelling,” he responded, seemingly annoyed by the preposterous accusation.

“Everybody shut up.” Tsukki silently sat up from his matt on the floor and squinted at the unfamiliar surroundings. He was probably trying to remember where he left his glasses the night before.

Yamaguchi sat up beside him and let out a loud yawn. “Good morning everyone,” he said wincing at the sound of his own voice.

The rest of the team slowly began to get up, there motions delayed and overthought as a result from their decisions from the night before. Daichi, reluctantly got up from the couch and Suga looked like he had never been more disappointed, but followed his lead.

“Need. Coffee,” said Daichi as he tried to find the kitchen with his eyes still closed.

“I need _food_ ,” said Tanaka stretching

“I can make us all breakfast,” Asahi responded quickly, but he didn’t have much in. Definitely not enough to feed everyone on the team. He looked over at Noya again, who was now getting out of bed, and still very shirtless. Asahi looked away repressing a blush. He needed a distraction. He needed to not be there and do something else for a little bit. “But I don’t have anything here. If you guys are willing to take the trip down to the coffee shop, I can fix everyone up.”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Kageyama, beside a snoring Hinata.

Everyone took turns showering and changing out of last nights cloths. Tsukki ‘accidently’ stepped on Hinata on his way to the bathroom, which caused Hinata to scream _very_ loudly. Everyone had to restrain themselves from killing the little guy. Screaming in a room full of hungover people is enough to get anyone killed.

Asahi was the last to take a shower. He insisted the others go first given that they were his guests and it would feel wrong if he were to hog the shower. By the time it was his turn though, there was no hot water left. He didn’t mind too badly, though. The cold water would help wake him up, and hopefully remove some of the fog in his head.

He dunked his head under the cold stream and too deep breaths, being careful not to accidently inhale any liquid. Yesterday kept flooding back to him. Every time he closed his eyes he was back on the floor, so close to Noya. Their bodies connected. Noya’s soft lips, his smooth skin against his. Running his fingers through his hair. Noya’s pulse beneath his palm, as it rested on his neck. The smile that stretched his lips as he kissed him.

How was he going to talk to the boy now?! How could he ever look at Noya again without thinking about last night? He no longer had to wonder or imagine how wonderful it would feel to kiss him, because now he knew exactly how it felt, and it was better than anything he could have ever imagined. How could they continue to be friends when Asahi so desperately wanted nothing more than to embrace him once again, and never let go.   

_Maybe last night wasn’t so bad,_ he told himself. Hell, maybe it was a good thing. Maybe it was what Asahi needed to finally be able to tell Noya how he felt. He didn’t have anything to lose. He already made out with the guy. He couldn’t possibly embarrass himself more than he already has. What could be worse than that?

_Well,_ he thought. _Rejection._ _Getting turned down by the only person I’ve ever really wanted to be with would not be fun._ Asahi would be devastated if Noya turned him down. He knew Noya wouldn’t be cruel about it. That wasn’t his style. He would be _especially_ gentle with Asahi and he knew it. Noya had always felt a need to protect Asahi. He has always been in tune with Asahi’s fragile feelings and his low self-esteem. He was so different from Asahi.

He always admired that confidence, that courage that Noya had. Asahi tried to fight his own battles and stand firm when confronted with things, and to fight his instinct to give up or run away, but it always made him feel better knowing that he was there if he needed him. Noya was always right beside him, ready to jump in. It made him feel safe.

Being around Noya had always made him feel stronger, and last night, he’d felt _invincible_.

Asahi made his decision. He couldn’t keep this secret any longer.

He turned off the water and got dressed. He opted to not blow dry his hair when he realized that the noise would probably kill him. So, he left his hair hang lose and soaking wet over his shoulders.

His hair had gotten a lot longer since high school. It now reached all the way down to his chest, and there was too much of it for him to pull back completely without it giving him a headache or looking weird so he now often opted to just wear it down, sometimes he would pull some of it back to keep it away from his face while he worked. Suga claimed that it looked good, Asahi was still trying to figure out if he was teasing him or if he actually meant it. It was hard to tell with Suga sometimes.

He put on a clean shirt and some jeans and walked out of the bathroom to join the rest of the group. The shower didn’t help with the splitting headache -nothing but fluids and rest was going to get rid of that- but he did feel a bit better. A bit clearer. He needed to figure out how he was going to talk to Noya. He would confront Noya about last night instead of trying to avoid it, instead of running away as he often does. As he has been for the past seven years. He needed to know if last night meant anything to him. Asahi doubted that he could move on until he did.

He walked back into his bedroom only to find Noya there, and Asahi almost lost his courage immediately. He was changing into a fresh pair of clothes. He was wearing dark wash jeans that fit him perfectly. His now shorter hair was wet and drooping over his forehead, un-styled and a mess. Once again, he was shirtless, and Asahi got a clear shot at his slender and athletic build which had only gotten better with the past years of training. Asahi caught him in the act of putting on his t-shirt. When he heard Asahi walk in, he stopped mid action to smile and greet him. “Hey. I’m almost done.”

“Oh no, it’s fine. Don’t worry. Take your time. No rush,” Asahi said as he avoided eye contact with him. 

“Thanks.” He finished putting on his shirt and walked over to his duffle bag to find his comb. He started to run the brush through his hair and looked back at Asahi. He raised an eyebrow at him. “You okay? You look serious.”

“Nothing, just- _” What? Thinking? About you? Us? About how we kissed last night? That was pretty great. But not in like a weird creepy way. So, do you like me?_

“Hungover?” he guessed with a wide grin on his face, a playfulness in his tone.

“Yeah,” said Asahi letting out the breath that had locked itself in his throat. Asahi settled on that, figuring it would give him a few minutes to string together a coherent sentence.

“Thanks for last night, by the way,” said Noya while still casually coming through his hair.

Asahi almost choked on oxygen. “For what?!” he stuttered. That hardly seemed like the kind of thing you would say thank you for.

“You know, for letting me sleep in your bed last night,” he said after tossing his comb back in his bag. “That was cool of you. I was so drunk I just kind of crashed. Sorry. I hope you slept okay.”   

“Oh.” Asahi could almost hear the glass shattering in his head. That’s when Asahi realized that he probably didn’t remember anything from the night before. Of course, he didn’t. Asahi didn’t wake up beside him, so he probably thought that he just slept in Asahi’s bed last night because he was drunk. And if he didn’t remember that, he probably didn’t remember any of what happened before he went to bed last night. That would explain why he’s acting so casually around him. As if nothing had happened, because to Noya, nothing did.

Asahi felt a rush of disappointment rush through him. “Sure, no problem,” he responded. He should have been relieved. This is what he wanted. Not two minutes ago, he was writhing in embarrassment and trying to figure out a way to either disappear or make him forget. The universe and the sake had taken care of that. He didn’t have to confront him or his feelings anymore. He had nothing to worry about. He could put it all behind him, forget it ever happened.

It was everything he wanted -but he was disappointed. Now, there was no reason to tell Noya what he’d been trying to say for years.

“You guys ready?” said Hinata forcing Asahi back into the present moment. “I’m starving.” 

Asahi shook his head and tried to keep shock and disappointment off his voice as best he could. “Yeah,” he said then cleared his throat. Trying to put a bit more life in his voice. “Yeah, let’s go.”

They all walked out of Asahi’s apartment, disorganized as always and just as loud, despite everyone’s auditory sensibilities. They walked out the door and already there were six different conversations going on. They seemed to be swallowing up the usually quiet streets of Asahi’s neighborhood with their very loud and obvious presence. The walk was short considering that he lived in the building beside his work, but they still made their presence known to the town.

They walked up to the store front, Asahi unlocked the doors and opened the door wide for his friends. “Come in,” he said. “Make yourselves at home.”

It was a small shop that had a very homey feel too it. It wasn’t too small that everyone felt cramped and hot, but not so huge that it was cold and impersonal. There were lots of windows so the place was very bright and open. The colors were all so subtle and soothing, white and coppery red tones all around. The counter was the length of the wall that had displays for all sorts of different pastries, which were empty at the moment, waiting to be filled. The wall behind the counter consisted almost entirely of black board with the entire menu written on it by hand, promoting the previous day’s specials. There were tons of different machines that all made the same thing, but slightly different, and dozens of little trinkets that only someone that worked there could possibly know what they meant.

The Karasuno boys and girls stared in awe as they drank it all in.

“ _Waa,_ ” said Hinata, with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open.

“This is really nice, Asahi-san,” said Tanaka.

Kiyoko nodded. “Very nice.”

“You own this place?” asked Yachi, clearly impressed.

“No,” said Asahi, scratching the back of his head, feeling a bit awkward. He wasn’t used to being complimented. “I just work here.”

“And run the place,” added Daichi, a smug look on his face, like a father bragging about his son’s accomplishments.  

“I don’t _run_ the place,” said Asahi, finding it difficult to look at any of them.  

“You’re the manager Asahi, that means you run the place.” Suga smiled.

The team burst into a chorus of ‘whoas’, and Asahi blushed. “I’ll get started on breakfast,” he said quickly turning around and making his way behind the counter, anxious to get the attention off him.

“Do you need help?” asked Suga.

“No, no, sit down,” he said tying his apron around his waist. It felt so comfortable being behind the counter. More so than he did in his home. Especially in the last 24 hours. “All of you sit down, I’ve got it. I do this for a living after all. Pancakes good for everyone?”

Everyone agreed and pulled tables together so that the party could continue. “And coffee!” said Daichi taking his seat beside Suga.

Asahi smiled. “Coming right up.”

He got to work. He began to gather all the ingredients he needed and began mixing the pancakes while the coffee beans ground in the background. The chatter and the laughter  coming from his teammates helped him concentrate. His hands moved on instinct at this point, so he really didn’t need to think about what he was doing. Which allowed him to get lost in his own mind, which on most occasions, was not a good thing. Daichi didn’t encourage it at all, and neither did Suga.

He played the mornings events in his head and analyzed all of his interactions with Noya. What he said, his body language, how he acted, the more he thought about it the more obvious it became to him that Noya did not remember what had happened the night before. There was no way. If he had, there would be something, anything, in the way that he spoke around Asahi, or how he acted. But there was nothing. He talked to Asahi like he has been for the past seven years that they’d know each other. Which meant that everything from last night, didn’t mean anything. It was just a drunken mistake.

It wasn’t meant to hurt Asahi, it was the alcohol that had taken control. He could relate. While Asahi’s drunkenness acted on repressed feelings, Noya’s was all just drunken instinct. He couldn’t blame him for that. It was just how Noya was. Nothing ever really phased him. Noya just existed. Things would happen and he continued to live his life. It was another reason he liked him so much, and probably why it hurt so much to like him as well.

He looked up from his work, and looked at the table where they all sat. Noya was squished between Tanaka and Hinata. He was joking around and speaking at an abnormally loud volume despite the fact that everyone around him had a hangover, including himself. But he was still he full of energy; bright and talkative as he always was.

He watched him as he interacted with his friends, trying to find any sort of sign that he was wrong. Once he realized what he was doing he snorted, mocking himself.  It was ridiculous that he was holding on to hope. Hoping that he somehow recalled what happened last night. Or better yet, hoping that he felt the same way, or felt _something_ at the very least. Something worth exploring, worth looking into. That maybe he knew exactly what he was doing the night before. He hoped, he could hope all he wanted, but he knew that that hope would only be met with disappointment.

He had known Noya a long time, so he knew his past firsthand, and it was filled with smart, beautiful women, and strong, handsome men. How could he compete? The answer was simple: He couldn’t.

He would never be the type of person that would capture his interest. And even if he had managed to do so for the briefest moment, he could never keep his attention. Someone like Noya, so impatient, bored in a second, Asahi could never keep up with him, and he would eventually get tired of waiting for him to catch up. He needed someone more interesting, who was just as wild and adventurous as he was. Someone that wasn’t afraid, like Asahi was. And that would hurt. Hurt more than Asahi could bare. Just thinking of it made his heart ache.

It was better this way. He would suffer less this way. He wouldn’t get his hopes up, get comfortable, fall in love with him, only to have to let him go.

This was enough. Last night was enough. He would always have Noya in his life, he would get to watch Noya be himself, and keep playing volleyball and living his dream, and that would be enough. That was more than Asahi could ever ask for.

 

The rest of the morning passed by smoothly. Everyone ate their weight in pancakes and eggs. They all thanked Asahi for the food, which made him swell up with just tiniest bit of pride. Everyone had rehydrated re-caffeinated, ready to take on the day ahead of them.

The conversation was easy and lighthearted, reminiscing on their time in high school, retelling embarrassing moments from the night before, and unofficially making plans to do this again soon. Asahi never mentioned what had happened between them last night, and put it behind him. Just another memory.

They talked as they always had. Two close friends who mutually respect each other. There was nothing different, nothing new or weird, or out of place. Noya acted like this was any other day, and Asahi fell into his rhythm, as he often did.

Everyone was smiling, and having a great time, but there was that lingering sadness, that reluctance to let the morning end. That’s why they dragged breakfast on longer than it should have. They weren’t ready to say goodbye again. Especially since no one knew how long it would be until the next time they saw each other.

But eventually, everything must come to an end. Often times it comes much sooner than we would like. Asahi knew that from experience.

The crew now obviously less enthused than they were before, packed up their things and began to get ready for their trips back home, however long they may be. Everyone was piling up their various bags into the line of cars which seemed too small to fit everyone, and the to-go cups had been distributed, with an assortment of coffee, hot chocolate, and milkshakes to help make the long trips ahead of them more bearable. 

Outside of Asahi’s coffee shop everyone was hugging goodbye and lining themselves around the cars that would be taking them back home to their lives which seemed much too far away from each other, and a lot less fun.

            “Let’s make sure never to wait this long to get together again, ok?” said Suga as he gave Enoshita a hug.

“Agreed,” he said smiling, hugging his senior fondly. “But next time you’re giving Tanaka and Noya a ride,” said Chika as he pulled away from the hug, a dead pan look on his face.

Suga laughed, his entire face lighting up. “We’ll see about that.”

“Take care Asahi,” said Daichi giving him a quick hug. “We’ll see you soon, ok?”

Asahi smiled, thankful to know that his friend meant it, and it wouldn’t be long until he saw his two best friends again. “Looking forward to it. Be careful out there.”

Daichi smiled. “Always am.” He lifted his large, white, to-go cup of coffee still filled to the brim with pure, black coffee. “And thanks for the coffee. I’ll need it.”

“With Noya, Hinata, _and_ Kageyama all in the same car? Definitely,” Asahi teased. 

Daichi’s entire face fell, already looking exhausted from the trip that hadn’t started yet. “I actually might need another one of these.”

Asahi laughed.

He said goodbye to the rest of his former teammates and went back inside. He decided it would be best to tackle the mess left behind by his friends now rather than later. Thankfully today was Sunday and the shop didn’t open, but his boss might be stopping by later in the day to check up on things. Asahi had mentioned he might be having a few friends over today.

He could hear his friends outside of the shop settling into their cars and getting their things together as he absent-mindedly gathered all of the dirty dishes.

Daichi and Suga were going through everything one last time, making sure that nothing was forgotten. Hinata and Kageyama were talking in the backseat, sitting much closer than necessary. They seemed to be enjoying themselves though.

Nishinoya was talking to Tanaka one last time before they went their separate ways for the next however long. They had kept in touch after graduation and visited each other frequently, but it had been a while since they hung out in person like this. Life kept them very busy. They hoped to make plans to hang out again sometime soon.

“Bye Ryu, have a safe drive home. Say hi to ne-san and the Mrs., for me,” he said slapping his best friend on the shoulder, a bit too hard. He didn’t seem to know his own strength anymore.

Tanaka laughed boisterously and rubbed his now bruised shoulder. “You got it!”

Noya looked back at the shop and through the window where he had a perfect view of Asahi. His back was to him and he seemed to be whipping down tables. The way he stared mirrored how he looked when he was in the middle of a game. Focused, determined, and with a goal in mind. “Tanaka,” he said suddenly, grabbing his friend’s attention. “Tell Daichi I’ll be back in a minute, okay?”

“Something wrong?” he asked raising an eyebrow at him.

Nishinoya shook his head. “No, I just have to do something real quick before we leave.”

“Okay,” he said not really sure what was going on, but he knew better than to question Noya, or make sense of his actions. He just did what he always did, and went with it. “But be quick!” he shouted as Noya trotted off.   

“Do you have to use the bathroom?” yelled Hinata from inside the car.

Nishinoya slammed the door open so hard, the bell attached to it almost broke off. Asahi jumped at the unexpected noise, the ringing echoing in his head. He cursed himself for drinking, and made a silent vow to never do it again. He turned to look at what had happened only to find an angry looking Nishinoya standing before him, with his hand on his hips.

Asahi cocked his head to the side, bewildered with what was happening before him. “Noya?” Asahi noticed how Noya was wearing an unusually serious look on his face and a wave of worry began to creep up inside him. “Is everything okay? Did you forget something?” 

“Yes,” he said, keeping perfect eye contact with Asahi, as if trying to stare him down. “Your number.”

Asahi just stared at him, eyes wide in shock and confusion. He felt like someone had slapped him in the face. “What?” was the only response his brain managed to produce.

“Your _number_ , Asahi,” he repeated, as if talking to exceptionally slow child. “What’s your number? Is it the same from high school?” 

Asahi didn’t know what to say. His heart was beating loudly in his ears, and his stomach was doing summersaults. The air suddenly seemed too thick, and the room became too hot, making it difficult to breath. He looked around the room, suddenly unable to meet his eyes. “W-why do you ask?” 

“So, I can call you. _Duh_.” Noya gave him that look again. The one that made him uncomfortable and caused his stomach to drop, and made his tongue feel like it was two sizes too big. “How else are we supposed to make plans for a date, if I can’t communicate with you?” 

“A date?!” All of the blood rushed up to Asahi’s face. The words had come out of Noya’s mouth, but they weren’t making any sense. It all seemed too good to be true. Was he really there, standing in front of him, as magnificent as he always was, asking him out? That didn’t seem possible. Asahi wondered if this was what an out of body experience felt like.  

Nishinoya smirked. He took a fistful of Asahi’s shirt and pulled him down, bringing him into a kiss. Asahi felt like he was drowning, but in the best way possible. His thoughts went back to last night, and all the amazing possibilities he had discarded just moments ago, they no longer seemed so out of reach. They were real again. Endless, tangible possibilities.

Nishinoya pulled away, and opened his eyes only to find a still blushing Asahi with his eyes bugging out of his head. This was exactly the sort of reaction he was hoping for. “You didn’t think I forgot about last night, did you?”

“Well, I-” Asahi didn’t know what to say, the kiss had turned his brain into scrambled eggs.

Noya chuckled, he found how flustered Asahi was both amusing and endearing. “I didn’t forget. That kind of thing tends to leave an impression. Like I said, you’re an excellent kisser, Asahi.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?!” Asahi shouted his face still red as a tomato. “I’ve been stressing out about this all day!”

Noya shrugged. “I figured you’d be embarrassed if I brought it up in front of everyone. You’ve never been the _kiss and tell_ kind of guy, right?”

Asahi didn’t say anything, but Noya knew he was right. He knew that Asahi didn’t like drawing attention to himself. If Noya would have brought it up, it definitely would have made him uncomfortable. He was also worried that Asahi would get overwhelmed with the comments and the questions, and it would scare him off. He definitely didn’t want that. “So, I was waiting for us to be alone.”

It made perfect sense. Asahi felt stupid for not thinking about in the first place.

“Listen,” said Noya, and took a deep breath “I want you to know that last night wasn’t just a- what it was. I really like you Asahi, and I want to give this a shot. I don’t want to just chalk this up as a drunken good time, and forget it ever happened. And I don’t think you do either.” He looked at Asahi right in the eye as he spoke. Every word delivered clearly and with certainty. “Do you?”

Asahi shook his head. “No. No I don’t.”

Nishinoya smiled. “Good.” He seemed pleased with his answer. Asahi smiled. “Now, I’m not going to be in Japan for a couple of weeks. We have this training camp thing for the team, but when I get back,” Nishinoya smiled, still as mad as it always was, but there was a certain softness to it this time. A gentleness that only seemed to be there when he looked at Asahi. “Would you like to go on a date with me?” 

Asahi was pretty sure he was dying. His heart was pounding out of his chest, blood was rushing in his ears, his vision was a little blurry, and he was 87% sure that he smelled toast. He looked down at the guy that he had respected, admired, cared for, and had grown to have feelings for, standing there before him asking him out on a date. This couldn’t be real. It was a hallucination, a dream, anything but reality. Whatever it was, he hoped it would never end. Asahi smiled, ignoring the blush that refused to leave his face. “Yes,” he said. The word so simple, but carried so much weight. “Yes, I would.”

Noya was not surprised, but he was still elated. He would be riding the high of Asahi accepting his invitation for days. His teammates were going to give him grief over it for the next few weeks. That, he was sure of, and he was looking forward to it.

He tugged at Asahi’s shirt once more, and he leaned down allowing Nishinoya to kiss him once more.

“Good,” he said again, once they finally pulled away from each other -a difficult task, all on its own. “I will call you with the details. Now, this is where what I came back here in the first place comes back into play: your number.”

“R-right!” Asahi shouted jumping back a bit, hitting a chair in the process. “Yes. Um, it’s the same one I’ve always had,” he replied, awkwardly. He was suddenly very aware of his limbs, and felt too big for the space. Like he was taking up too much room in the world.     

“Okay then, I’ll call you. See you in a few days?”

Asahi nodded, feeling like he was about to burst with joy.  “See you in a few days.”


End file.
